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State guide · October 2026
What it costs to ship a car to or from Wisconsin, why Milwaukee is one of the cheaper places in the Midwest to ship from, and which months the snowbird and campus lanes fill.
Written by Adam Scott, Coordinator at Broadway Auto Transport · October 20, 2026 · Prices updated October 20, 2026
Live carrier rates · ~30 seconds
Prefer a human? Call (917) 594-5566. A coordinator answers.
The short answer
In October 2026 a running sedan on an open carrier costs about $570 from Milwaukee to New York, about $855 from Milwaukee to Orlando, and about $1,075 from Madison to Phoenix. Coming in costs more on most lanes; New York to Madison is about $1,030. Snowbird lanes to Arizona and Florida fill in October and November.
Calendar
When the same lanes get busy, and what that does to your pickup week.
How busy the Wisconsin lanes get each month, from our coordinators’ calendar. Busier months fill trucks sooner and cost more.
What it costs
Milwaukee to New York, close to 900 miles, costs about $570 to ship this month. The same sedan going from New York to Madison costs about $1,030. The gap comes from geography. The state's two big cities sit on the I-94 and I-90 corridor that links Chicago with Minneapolis and St. Paul, trucks pass through constantly, and a carrier that has unloaded in the Midwest will haul a car east for less than it charged to bring one west. Pickups from Kenosha to Madison to Green Bay are rarely hard to fill.
The lane prices on this page are October 2026 figures for a running sedan on an open carrier, and the calculator turns your ZIP codes into an exact quote. Most Wisconsin shipments run without trouble on the interstate corridor. The ones that need planning are fall snowbird moves, cabin and Door County addresses, spring pickups on roads posted for frost laws, and cars headed for the seven counties that still test emissions.
These are October 2026 figures for the state. Your exact lane, vehicle, and week take about 30 seconds.
See my exact priceLocked 14 days · $0 until dispatch
Approximate prices, October 2026 · open carrier · running sedan · 15 Wisconsin lanes
Approximate prices for a running sedan on an open carrier, from the Wisconsin lanes we priced this month. Milwaukee and Madison sit at the low end because the I-94 corridor carries trucks in both directions every day. Northwoods towns and Door County take longer to assign, and the snowbird months move the Arizona and Florida lanes. The calculator prices your exact ZIP pair in about 30 seconds.
What moves the number
Approximate October 2026 prices for a running sedan on an open carrier. Larger vehicles, enclosed trailers, and peak weeks cost more; the calculator prices your exact shipment.
Lanes · October 2026
Approximate prices for a running sedan on an open carrier, with the range most trucks on the lane land in. “Truck assigned in” is how long it usually takes to find a carrier. Transit is what one driver covers at 400 to 500 miles a day after that.
$570most trucks $500–$640
884 mi2–3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–2 days
About $570 for 884 miles through Chicago and east on I-80 or I-90, a two-day run. Carriers that delivered in the Midwest head back east with room on the trailer, and New York to Madison costs about $1,030 by comparison.
Price this route$855most trucks $710–$1,005
1,227 mi3–4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–13 hours
About $855 for 1,227 miles, south through Indianapolis and Nashville to I-75. It fills from late October through Thanksgiving as snowbirds leave, and Orlando to Madison, the spring return, runs about $1,005.
Price this route$1,075most trucks $800–$1,345
1,830 mi4–5 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–19 hours
About $1,075 for 1,830 miles, roughly four days on the road. October and November are the snowbird weeks on this lane, and Phoenix to Milwaukee, the April trip home, costs about $1,280.
Price this route$1,280most trucks $1,005–$1,555
1,884 mi4–5 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–16 hours
About $1,280 this October, more than the southbound Madison to Phoenix trip at about $1,075. In late March and April retirees leave the desert at the same time, and the lane tightens with them.
Price this route$1,030most trucks $905–$1,155
940 mi2–3 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–25 hours
About $1,030 for 940 miles, close to twice the eastbound Milwaukee to New York price of about $570. Carriers take I-80 to Chicago and I-90 north, and the late-August week of UW–Madison move-in is the hardest to book.
Price this route$1,090most trucks $930–$1,250
1,451 mi3–4 days on the trucktruck assigned in 1–17 hours
About $1,090 for 1,451 miles, north on I-75 through Atlanta and then up through Nashville and Chicago. Going south costs a little less this month, with Madison to Miami at about $1,040, and April is when this direction fills.
Price this route| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY → Madison, WI | 940 | $1,030 | $905–$1,155 | 1–25 hours | 2–3 days | 940 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–25 hours |
| Dallas, TX → Milwaukee, WI | 1,048 | $950 | $740–$1,155 | 1–3 hours | 3 days | 1,048 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–3 hours |
| Jacksonville, FL → Madison, WI | 1,231 | $1,370 | $1,150–$1,585 | 1–25 hours | 3–4 days | 1,231 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–25 hours |
| Orlando, FL → Madison, WI | 1,314 | $1,005 | $685–$1,325 | 1–14 hours | 3–4 days | 1,314 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–14 hours |
| Miami, FL → Milwaukee, WI | 1,451 | $1,090 | $930–$1,250 | 1–17 hours | 3–4 days | 1,451 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–17 hours |
| Phoenix, AZ → Milwaukee, WI | 1,884 | $1,280 | $1,005–$1,555 | 1–16 hours | 4–5 days | 1,884 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1–16 hours |
| Los Angeles, CA → Madison, WI | 1,964 | $1,150 | $780–$1,520 | 1–5 days | 4–5 days | 1,964 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1–5 days |
| Eugene, OR → Neenah, WI | 2,101 | $1,530 | $1,295–$1,765 | 1–5 days | 5–6 days | 2,101 mi · 5–6 days · truck in 1–5 days |
| Lane | Miles | Approx. price | Most trucks | Truck assigned in | Transit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee, WI → New York, NY | 884 | $570 | $500–$640 | 1–2 days | 2–3 days | 884 mi · 2–3 days · truck in 1–2 days |
| Madison, WI → Dallas, TX | 1,027 | $1,005 | $810–$1,200 | 1–23 hours | 3 days | 1,027 mi · 3 days · truck in 1–23 hours |
| Milwaukee, WI → Orlando, FL | 1,227 | $855 | $710–$1,005 | 1–13 hours | 3–4 days | 1,227 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–13 hours |
| Stratford, WI → Orlando, FL | 1,452 | $1,120 | $825–$1,410 | 1–3 days | 3–4 days | 1,452 mi · 3–4 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Madison, WI → Miami, FL | 1,538 | $1,040 | $855–$1,230 | 1–3 days | 4 days | 1,538 mi · 4 days · truck in 1–3 days |
| Madison, WI → Phoenix, AZ | 1,830 | $1,075 | $800–$1,345 | 1–19 hours | 4–5 days | 1,830 mi · 4–5 days · truck in 1–19 hours |
| Milwaukee, WI → Los Angeles, CA | 2,058 | $1,250 | $1,055–$1,445 | 1–24 hours | 5–6 days | 2,058 mi · 5–6 days · truck in 1–24 hours |
Your lane is not in the table? Every ZIP pair in Wisconsin prices the same way, in about 30 seconds.
Price my exact laneLocked 14 days · $0 until dispatch
Where in Wisconsin the car is decides how fast a truck comes and whether it reaches the door. Tap a city to price a pickup there.
Milwaukee sits where I-94 meets I-43, on the main run between Chicago and the Twin Cities. Milwaukee to New York costs about $570 this October for 884 miles, and Milwaukee to Orlando about $855. Marquette and UW–Milwaukee students, Manheim's sale in Caledonia, and the county's emissions test all shape what moves here.
Downtown Madison fills the isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, and its tight streets call for a meet-up near the Beltline or I-90. UW–Madison move-in in late August is the busiest week of the year. Madison to Phoenix costs about $1,075 this month, and New York to Madison about $1,030.
Green Bay sits at the north end of I-41 and I-43, about two hours from Milwaukee, and most of the city gets a door pickup. Packers home games fill the roads around Lambeau Field, so book a different day. Retirees from Green Bay and Door County ship south to Florida and Arizona in October.
Price a pickup in Green BayAppleton and the other Fox Cities, Neenah, Menasha and Kaukauna, line I-41 along the Fox River north of Lake Winnebago. Eugene, Oregon to Neenah costs about $1,530 this October. Lawrence University brings students in each fall, and EAA AirVenture in nearby Oshkosh fills the area's roads for a week in late July.
Price a pickup in AppletonWausau sits at the north end of I-39, where US 51 takes over toward Minocqua. Stratford, west of town in Marathon County, ships to Orlando for about $1,120 this month. Town and county roads around Wausau post weight limits during the spring thaw, so farm addresses often meet the truck on a state highway.
Price a pickup in WausauEau Claire sits on I-94 about 90 miles east of the Twin Cities, on the road carriers use between Minneapolis and Madison. UW–Eau Claire students arrive in late August. In-town pickups usually reach the door, while farm roads in the Chippewa Valley carry frost-law limits in March and April.
Price a pickup in Eau ClaireLa Crosse sits on I-90 at the Mississippi, across the river from Minnesota. Fort McCoy, the Army post near Sparta, is about 35 miles east on the same interstate, and UW–La Crosse and Viterbo add students. Homes on the bluffs above town sit on steep roads, so those pickups meet the driver down in the valley.
Price a pickup in La CrosseSturgeon Bay is the gateway to Door County, reached on WI 42 and WI 57 from Green Bay, and a carrier can usually reach it. Fish Creek, Ephraim and Sister Bay farther up the peninsula fill with summer residents who bring cars in May and send them out in October, and those villages take longer to schedule.
Price a pickup in Sturgeon BayWisconsin's snowbirds ship to the Phoenix area and to Florida. They send the car south in October and November, before the first real snow, and ship back in March and April. Madison to Phoenix runs about $1,075 in October 2026 and Milwaukee to Orlando about $855, and both lanes tighten in the weeks around Thanksgiving. Booking two to three weeks ahead and giving the driver a window of a few days keeps the price near those numbers.
Outside the snowbird traffic, relocations leave all year, and buyers in other states pick up cars sold at Manheim Milwaukee in Caledonia and the Copart yards around Milwaukee, Madison, and Appleton. Madison to Dallas runs about $1,005 this month and Milwaukee to Los Angeles about $1,250. Eastbound is the cheapest direction of all, since Milwaukee to New York, at about $570, rides on trucks heading back toward the coast after unloading in the Midwest.
Cars arriving in Wisconsin follow the academic year and the snowbird return. The University of Wisconsin–Madison, Marquette and UW–Milwaukee, and the UW campuses in Eau Claire, La Crosse, Oshkosh, and Green Bay bring students in late August and send them home in May. Fort McCoy, the Army post near Sparta, adds a smaller flow of military moves. Then in March and April the snowbirds come back north, and Phoenix to Milwaukee, about $1,280 this month, tightens with them.
New residents arriving from the coasts pay more than people leaving. New York to Madison costs about $1,030 in October 2026, and Los Angeles to Madison about $1,150. Dallas to Milwaukee is about $950. If the car is headed to Milwaukee, Waukesha, or one of the other five southeastern counties with emissions testing, the DMV may send a letter after registration asking for a test within 45 days.
A loaded car carrier runs about 75 feet. These are the Wisconsin addresses where it can’t reach the door, and what happens instead. Your coordinator settles it before you book.
The main route is I-94 from the Illinois line through Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee, then west with I-90 and I-39 past Madison, and on through Eau Claire to Hudson and the Twin Cities. I-90 splits off toward La Crosse, and I-39 runs north from Portage through Stevens Point to Wausau. I-41 and I-43 carry trucks from Milwaukee to the Fox Valley and Green Bay. Anything near those roads, from Beloit and Janesville to Appleton and Sheboygan, gets a truck quickly and prices close to Milwaukee.
North of Wausau the interstate ends and US 51 takes over toward Minocqua and the lake country, where cabins sit on narrow gravel roads and a carrier needs a lot on the highway to load. Door County is a long peninsula with two-lane WI 42 and WI 57 up its length; Sturgeon Bay is easy, and the villages farther north take a longer wait. Washington Island, off the tip of the peninsula, and Madeline Island, off Bayfield on Lake Superior, are reached by car ferry, so delivery ends at the ferry landing on the mainland. Superior sits next to Duluth and ships like a Minnesota lane.
Snow on the southern interstates usually costs a pickup about a day, since plows clear the roads around Milwaukee and Madison quickly. The far north takes longer. The Lake Superior shore around Hurley and Iron County gets lake-effect snow, and two-lane roads there can stay slick for days. If a pickup up north falls in December through February, give the driver a wider window. Delays from snow change the date and leave the quoted price where it was.
Spring brings frost laws. As the ground thaws in March and April, counties and towns post weight limits on local roads to keep heavy trucks from breaking up the softened pavement, and a loaded car carrier can be well over those limits. On a posted road the driver cannot come to the door, so the pickup moves to the nearest state or US highway. Your coordinator checks the address and names the meeting spot before booking.
The day before pickup, your coordinator texts the confirmed window.
Leaving Wisconsin costs less on 4 of the 6 pairs priced this month. Carriers price the empty miles home, so the busier direction costs more. Each pair below is the same out-of-state city in both directions, running sedan, open carrier.
New York
Dallas
Orlando
Miami
Phoenix
Los Angeles
Wisconsin rules
The rules that catch people who bring a car in from another state.
Rules as of the review date below. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation's Division of Motor Vehicles is the source for title, registration, and emissions testing; check with it before you apply.
Questions
Madison to Phoenix runs about $1,075 for a running sedan on an open carrier in October 2026, with most trucks between roughly $800 and $1,345. The return trip costs more: Phoenix to Milwaukee is about $1,280. October, November, March, and April are the snowbird months on these lanes and can run up to 20% higher, so book two to three weeks ahead.
Milwaukee to Orlando runs about $855 on an open carrier in October 2026, most trucks between roughly $710 and $1,005, and Madison to Miami about $1,040. Heading north, Miami to Milwaukee is about $1,090 and Orlando to Madison about $1,005. Transit runs about three days after pickup. The quote holds for 14 days.
Milwaukee to New York runs about $570 this month, with most trucks between roughly $500 and $640, for about 884 miles. Many carriers unload in Chicago and the Midwest and head back east wanting cars to fill the trailer. The westbound trip has no such discount: New York to Madison costs about $1,030.
Only if the car will be kept in Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Washington, or Waukesha county. In those seven counties, most cars and light trucks from model year 1996 on are tested every other year, and a new resident who gets a letter from the DMV has 45 days after registering to test. Wisconsin has no safety inspection anywhere in the state.
Not if you have owned it for 90 days or more; the DMV has you list the purchase price as zero with an exemption code. If you bought it less than 90 days before moving, you list what you paid, and sales tax you already paid in another state is credited when you send proof with the application.
Yes, with some planning. Sturgeon Bay and the main highways in Door County are reachable, and so are Minocqua and Rhinelander off US 51. Cabin roads and anything posted with spring weight limits usually mean a meet-up on the highway. Washington Island and Madeline Island are ferry-only, so delivery ends on the mainland side. Your coordinator confirms the plan before booking.
Assignment is usually quick on the I-94 corridor and slower up north. Transit runs about 400 to 500 miles a day: about two days to New York or Dallas, three to Florida, four to Phoenix, and four to five to Los Angeles. A snowstorm in the north woods or a posted road during the spring thaw can add a day or two.
The data
The numbers are rebuilt from our own pricing each month and published with the page, so the dates above are the real ones.
Other state guides
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